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Inside General Internal Medicine
January & February 2026
News & insights from across the Division of General Internal Medicine - send your latest research and faculty/staff updates to Saie Kim.
| | | Dr. Sarah Young: Advancing Patient-Centered Research Through Qualitative Methods | |
 | | Dr. Sarah Young’s path into qualitative research began with her training as a social worker, where she was drawn to the nuanced dimensions of human behavior and lived experience. Qualitative methods offered the most fitting tools to explore the kinds of questions that shaped her dissertation and early career, including questions about process, context and perspective. Many of the core skills in qualitative inquiry, such as asking meaningful questions and bracketing one’s assumptions, aligned naturally with her clinical training. As one of the leaders of the Qualitative Methods Unit in the Division, she is energized by the evolving conversation around AI and its role in qualitative analysis. Dr. Young and her Co‑Director, Dr. David Scales, are actively examining when and how AI can serve as a partner in their work, building on a recent study in which human coders and an AI model produced compatible findings. This intersection of rigor, innovation and resource stewardship has implications for implementation of science, mixed methods and community-based participatory research.
In teaching the Qualitative Research Basics course, she aims to help learners build confidence in identifying when qualitative approaches are appropriate, understanding epistemological foundations, distinguishing major methodologies and applying flexible, thoughtful strategies for data collection and analysis. One project that exemplifies the impact of qualitative methods at Weill Cornell Medicine involved collaboration with colleagues at the Hospital for Special Surgery to understand breastfeeding decision-making among mothers with lupus. Through in-depth interviews, the study illuminated patient perspectives that helped clinicians better address concerns about medication safety and support informed decision-making. For Dr. Young, the power of qualitative research lies in transforming clinical observations into grounded insights that meaningfully shape patient care, education and community engagement.
| | Leading the Future of Health Policy to Strengthen Our Care Systems | | Dr. Devin Worster has been accepted into the Society of General Internal Medicine’s Leadership in Health Policy (LEAHP) program for 2026–2027, a year‑long initiative that builds federal health policy knowledge and advocacy skills through monthly webinars, interactive journal clubs and a mentored capstone project. He pursued this opportunity because he sees how social and structural factors shape patients’ health every day. His work with community health workers, social care programs and Medicaid policy has shown him that lasting change requires policy solutions, not just individual programs. He is especially eager to explore policies that support person‑centered, community‑based care and sustainable approaches to addressing patients’ health‑related social needs. Dr. Worster looks forward to bringing new skills, partnerships and policy expertise back to Weill Cornell Medicine to help advance equitable, community‑rooted system‑level changes. | | | Shaping the Future of Climate and Health Education | | Dr. Arnab Ghosh will serve as the program director representing Weill Cornell Medicine for the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Distinction in Climate, Health and Sustainability program. He will guide, instruct and mentor the incoming residency and fellow class on the role climate change plays in health beginning in July 2026. Supported by the Carey Foundation, this year‑long initiative is a collaboration among Columbia University, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork‑Presbyterian. | | | Caring for the Caregiver: How Health Evolves Across the Caregiving Journey | | Dr. Madeline Sterling presented at the New York Public Library’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library as part of Weill Cornell Medicine’s Caring for the Caregiver series, offering a concise overview of how caregiving affects caregiver health across both the caregiving trajectory and the disease trajectory. She described how shifts in caregiving responsibilities, from early adjustments to increasing demands to periods of intensive support, shape immunity, heart health and mental well‑being. She also explained how caregiving differs depending on the course of the care recipient’s illness, noting that sudden‑onset conditions, chronic diseases and progressive disorders create distinct patterns of stress and adaptation. Her presentation emphasized the importance of understanding these evolving stages to better support caregivers throughout the full caregiving experience. | | | Congratulations to Our 2026 Top Doctors | | |
We’re pleased to announce that Drs. Elaine Gee, Judy Tung and Trenton Collier have been recognized as Castle Connolly Top Doctors. These honorees represent the highest standards in healthcare, demonstrating exceptional clinical expertise and outstanding interpersonal care.
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| | Honoring Excellence in Exploring Art in Clinical Training | | Inspiring the Future of Medical Education | | Dr. Todd Cassese has been selected as a 2026 Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA) Distinguished Educator Award recipient, an honor that recognizes a sustained and exemplary record of educational leadership, scholarly contribution, research excellence and outstanding teaching. He was chosen for his meaningful and lasting impact on the NEGEA community, reflected in his commitment to advancing medical education and supporting the growth of learners and colleagues across the region. | | | Celebrating Excellence in Community Engaged Practice | |
Strengthening New York's Extreme Heat Response with Data-Driven Strategies
Our Division and Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability hosted a cross‑campus conversation on using data, community partnerships and urban forestry to build heat resilience across New York as climate health impacts grow. The event highlighted how New York can better adapt to extreme heat by using open data, visualization tools and community‑driven strategies to guide smarter decision‑making. Speakers emphasized the growing impact of climate health and the need to build local capacity and heat‑resilience practices. Dr. Arnab Ghosh shared his insights on individual heat risk and addressed how urban forestry can support city‑wide strategies to reduce the health effects of extreme heat. The discussion also underscored the importance of integrating digital health and environmental sensor data to strengthen climate‑health responses.
| | Understanding Pediatric Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder Hospitalizations | | Cornell‑Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship (CHERF) fellow Dr. Nicole Kelly presented on her national evaluation of pediatric Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder (SSRD) admissions using Public Health Information System (PHIS) data, which represent about 15% of U.S. pediatric hospitalizations. She noted that thousands of children are admitted each year across diverse demographic groups and highlighted the high rates of co‑occurring anxiety and depression that contribute to longer hospital stays. Her findings point to the need to better understand how sociodemographic and hospital‑level factors shape care and outcomes. She emphasized the value of developing a communication framework to strengthen patient–physician interactions and support children in navigating these conditions. | | |
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Carlo Castillo – Research Coordinator, Dr. Erica Phillips’s Research Team
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Melissa Chery – Assistant Research Coordinator, Dr. Erica Phillips’s Research Team
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Aaron Powell – Administrative Coordinator (no headshot available)
| | | | Meet Our New Research Interns | | We are excited to welcome our Spring 2026 Health Services Research Interns from Hunter College, Tosmien Ahmed, Mohammed Fahim, Muhammad Anus, Lyle Roddey, Evelyn Ho and Kimberly Maldonado, who will be working under the mentorship of our staff and research faculty: Mangala Rajan, Drs. Sarah Young, David Scales, Arnab Ghosh, Koeun Choi, Laura Pinheiro, Monika Safford and Amy McMenamin as they begin to advance their knowledge and contribute to the next chapter of reducing health disparities and driving research innovation. | | Quality Improvement Academy Welcomes New Applicants and Honors Upcoming Graduates | | |
The Quality Improvement Academy (QIA) is currently selecting the Class of 2027, having received project applications from six departments from three of our campuses. Applicants can expect notification letters by April 2026.
Looking ahead, please mark your calendars for the QIA Class of Graduation on May 20, 2026. The day begins with Medicine Grand Rounds at 8 AM and concludes with the Annual WCM-QIPS Poster Symposium from 5 – 7 PM at the Griffis Faculty Club. We invite you to celebrate our graduates and participate in the poster symposium.
Abstracts are being accepted until March 29, 2026. Please click here to submit your application. To learn more about QIA, please visit the website.
| | Call for Submissions: Poster Abstracts for Cornell Center for Health Equity Research Symposium | | |
Annual Cornell Center for Health Equity (CCHEq) Research Symposium at Cornell University's Ithaca Campus is taking place on May 11, 2026. This year's theme, "Nothing About Us Without Us," focuses on reducing health disparities through authentic community partnership. We are excited to invite you to be part of the conversation and help drive meaningful change.
To participate, submit a poster abstract showcasing your work in health equity. Submit here. The deadline for the submission is March 30, 2026.
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WNYC: What GLP-1s Know About Addiction
Dr. Dhruv Khullar discussed how Ozempic may help curb addictive behaviors and what researchers are uncovering about this emerging phenomenon.
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Everyday Health: Can Drinking Hot Water Give Your Health and Digestion a Boost?
Dr. Zachary Mulvihill said drinking warm water rather than cold water is recommended to improve digestion in both traditional Chinese medicine and ayurveda.
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Meyer Cancer Center Survivorship Retreat: Please join us on March 20, 2026 from 9 AM - 1 PM to build an agenda of survivorship programmatic and research initiatives across Meyer Cancer Center at Center for Community Health Newyork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. For any questions regarding the event, please contact Zori Hamilton.
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Save the date for the Cornell Center for Health Equity Research Symposium, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” taking place on May 11, 2026 at Cornell University in Ithaca.
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Berger, Rebecca E., Safford, Monika M., Lee, Jennifer I., Rajan, Mangala., McNairy, MargaretL., Card, Andrea., Kern, Lisa M.,. Advance Care Planning, Race, and Age. American Journal of Medical Quality 2026
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Muntner P, Safford MM, Goyal P, Alexander KP, Levitan EB, Nanna MG, Reid RJ, Sterling MR, Bowling CB. Cardiovascular Events in US Adults Aged ≥80 Years: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes. Circ Popul Health Outcomes. 2026
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Komsany A, Al Zoubi O, Sebaaly L, Harrison G, Soroka O, ElKefi S, Scales D, Phillips E, Pinheiro LC, Ismail I, Chebli P. Leveraging AI for Analysis of Digital Health Information on Cancer Prevention Among Arab Youth and Adults: Content Analysis. JMIR Infodemiology. 2026
Explore the latest publications from our GIM faculty.
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